Envelope blank feeding mechanism



y 24, 1955 o. P. WELSH ENVELOPE BLANK FEEDING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet2:

Filed Dec. 29, 1950 JNVENTOR. I 0777207202 Zflj/ BY m O. P. W ELSHENVELOPE BLANK FEEDING MECHANISM May 24, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 FiledDec. 29, 1950 INVENTOR.

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May 24, 1955 o. P. WELSH 2,709,031

ENVELOPE BLANK FEEDING MECHANISM Filed Dec. 29, 19 50 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 nT a m z .3 m NEN mfi u m W ..l., n w {um I W, m UMMN lm r E EN. z NW YEN u P V I Um v n In I V I "Em m m ll------h------ II-----l'---I- NAILTIIJII w WE a .n I W al QM May 24, 1955 o. P. WELESH ENVELOPE BLANKFEEDING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. 29, 1950 Wm 7 N9 UnitedStates Patent ENVELOPE BLANK FEEDING MECHANISM Orrnonde P. Welsh,Minneapolis, Minn., assignor to Parten Machinery Company, Minneapolis,MiiilL, a partnership Application December 29, 1950, Serial No. 203,266

13 Claims. (Cl. 271-2) This invention relates to envelope formingmachines, and more particularly to apparatus and methods for feedingenvelope blanks to an envelope machine.

In forming envelopes, an envelope blank is formed from a fiat sheet ofpaper by cutting the sheet to the proper shape. The envelope blank isthen glued and folded to form a finished envelope. The present inventionis directed to feed apparatus and methods for high speed automaticenvelope forming machines. In these high speed machines the feedapparatus and methods must move the envelope blanks to successiveforming operations at the rate of several hundred blanks per minute andmove them one at a time in a. continuous manner. More specifically, theblanks must be separated from each other so that no two blanks remaincompletely superimposed and there must be a substantially uniform timeinterval between adjacent blanks. If two or more blanks remaincompletely superimposed an envelope having double thickness walls willdevelop. if the feed mechanism fails to feed an envelope in proper timedsequence with the immediately preceding or succeeding envelope, certainsucceeding operations of the forming machine, for example the gluing ofthe seal flap, will damage the next succeeding or next precedingenvelope blank.

Accordingly it is an important object of the present invention toprovide apparatus and methods for feeding envelope blanks to high speedenvelope forming machnies; more particularly, it is an object of theinvention to provide an improved feed apparatus and method for highspeed envelope machines which will feed the envelope blanks from a stackone at a time and at uniform predetermined intervals in a continuousmanner.

Another object of the invention is to provide envelope feed apparatusand method which has means for engaging the envelope blanksimultaneously at spaced apart points.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus forfeeding envelopes to high speed envelope machines which has positivemeans to insure that only one envelope blank is fed from a stack ofenvelope blanks at a time.

In conjunction with the preceding object, it is a further object toprovide positive gate means which can be universally adjusted toaccommodate various sizes and thicknesses of envelope blanks.

Still another object of the invention is. to provide an envelope blankfeed apparatus having means for con tinually urging the envelope blankstoward the feed members.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an envelope feedapparatus which can be easily and quickly adjusted to accommodatevarious sizes and shapes of envelope blanks.

A further object of the invention is to provide an envelope blank feedapparatus which is particularly adapted to feed blanks formed of heavierpaper and to feed larger sizes of envelope blanks.

A still further object of the invention is to provide in combination anenvelope blank feed mechanism of the type described and a timing sectionfor positively positioning the separated envelope blanks in fixed spacedrelationship.

These and other object and advantages of the invention will be betterunderstood from the following description when taken in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings. In the drawings, wherein like referencenumerals have been used to indicate like parts throughout:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of an envelope forming machine havingincorporated therein a feed mechanism embodying the principles of thepresent invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view in vertical section of the suction wheel andgate substantially as seen in the direction of the arrows along the line2-2 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 3 is a view in vertical section as seen in the direction of thearrows along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical view of the envelope blank feeding apparatusforming the subject matter of the present invention, certain parts beingshown in section and certain parts being broken away for illustrativepurposes;

Fig. 5 is a view in vertical section along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a view in vertical section substantially as seen in thedirection of the arrows along the line 66 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 7 is a view in horizontal section substantially as seen in thedirection of the arrows along the line 77 of Fig. 4.

Referring now to Fig. l of the drawings, there is shown an envelopeforming machine including a blank feed mechanism generally designated bythe numeral 10 embodying the principles of the present invention. Thefeed mechanism 10 takes the envelopes one at a time from a stack atpredetermined time intervals and delivers them to a section 12 of themachine which applies glue to the seal flap. The envelope blanks withthe glue in the undried condition are then fed to a drying mechanism 14Where the glue is dried, and then to a side flap gluing and foldingmechanism generally designated by the numeral 16. The completedenevlopes are then stacked at 18 where they can be picked up by theoperator and sent to other processing stations.

The blank feed mechanism 10 is best illustrated in Fig. 4. The feedmechanism 10 includes means for supporting a stack 20 of envelopes 22, aplurality of rubber pads 24 which engage the lower edge of an envelopeblank when a blank is to be removed from the stack, a suction wheel 26'which engages the upper edge of a blank to be removed from the stack 2%a pressure roll 28 and a pair of timing conveyor chains 3%. All of theabove parts are supported upon a main frame 32 having a base portion 34extending transversely with respect to the envelope forming machine anda pair of upstanding side frame portions 36 and 38 disposed at the endsof the base portion 34.

The support for the envelope stack 20 is mounted upon a side frame 40which is bolted to the main frame as at 42 and extends to the left asviewed in Figure 4. Frame 40 extends substantially to the top of theenvelope machine whereby to form a support for a pair of threaded rods44 having the ends thereof journaled in frame 4d at 46 and 43.Threadedly mounted upon rod 4 is a stack frame 5b, the sides of thestack frame 59 having elongated members 52 and 54 which engage the rods4-4 along a substantial portion thereof. The forward ends of members 52and 54 have attached thereto a pair of L-shaped brackets 56 (see Fig.7), having a free leg 58 of the bracket turned inwardly to provide aguide member. A pair of upwardly extending grooves are formed in theside frame 40 to receive legs 58. Mounted on the stack frame 5%? is apair of support frames 62 which extend rearwardly and beyond the rearedge of the stack frame 40. Each of the support frames on the upper edgethereof carries a side flap supporting bar 64 which engages theenvelopes on the under side of side flaps as viewed in Figure 5. Thesupport bars are adjustable about the pivot 66 to accommodate differentshaped side flaps on different styles of envelope blanks. Also mountedon the stack frame and disposed inwardly of the support frame aresupport rails 68 which engage the envelope blanks at the junctionbetween the side flaps and the front flaps. The forward ends of thesupport rails 68 are pivoted on frame 62 as at 60 and the rear ends ofthe rails 68 are provided with means to reciprocate the rails in avertical direction, as will be described hereinafter.

Various widths of envelopes can be accommodated by moving the supportframes 62 toward or away from each other. To this end each support frameis provided with a block 70 having mounted therein a threaded nut 72.Disposed within the threaded portion of nut 72 is a threaded rod 74which is rotatably mounted in the stack frame 59. One portion of the rod74 is threaded in a right hand manner and the other end is threaded in aleft hand manner so that the support frames move inwardly toward eachother or simultaneously away from each other when the rod 74 is rotated.Means is provided for rotating rod 74 in the form of an extension 76which is adapted to receive a suitable crank.

The forward portion of the envelope stack 20 is supported by a pluralityof upstanding arms, see Figs. 2,

and 7; the tower ends of support arms 78 are attached L to the lowerportion of side frame 46. Arms 7% in cooperation with bars 64 and rails68 serve to properly support the envelopes in stack 20 in position forfeeding. As can be best seen from Fig. 4 the entire stack support isinclined forwardly or to the right at an angle of approximately andaccordingly no support is necessary on the rear portion of the stack.This arrangement also permits continual addition of envelope blanks tothe stack without interrupting the operation of the machine.

As envelope blanks are fed from stack it is necessary to move the stackbodily as viewed in Fig. 4 towards the suction wheel 26 and the pads 24.To this end there is provided means for continuously jogging orreciprocating the support rails 68 with respect to the stack frame 50. Ashaft 80 is journaled in the rear end of stack frame for rotationtherein. The rear ends of the support rails 68 are provided withdownwardly extending portions 32 which rotatably receive a jogging cam84. Shaft 39 extends through cam 84 in an eccentric manner so that theportions 82 are moved upwardly and downwardly as cam 34 is rotated byshaft 80. To provide positive drive between shaft 50 and cam 84 and yetpermit horizontal adjustment of the support frames 62 with respect toeach other, an elongated slot is provided longitudinally in shaft 80,this slot receiving a key 86 firmly attached to the cam 84. It is alsodesirable to insert a bushing 83 between the cam 84 and the portions 82.

Shaft is driven by means of a chain 90 which cooperates with a sprocketwheel 92 affixed to one end of shaft 80; chain 90 also contacts asprocket wheel 94 mounted on the side portion 36, a driving sprocket 96and a tension adjusting sprocket 98. The construction and mounting ofthe sprocket 96 can be best seen in Figure 6 wherein it will be seenthat the sprocket wheel 96 is directly connected to another sprocketwheel 100 which is the main drive sprocket for the entire envelopemachine. Sprocket 100 is driven by a chain 102 from a prime mover notshown. It will be seen from the above drive mechanism that the shaft 80is rotated when the main drive sprocket wheel 100 is rotated. Thepurpose and operation of the tension sprocket 98 Will be more fullydescribed hereinafter.

Envelopes having various heights can be accommodated by moving the stackframe 50 upwardly or downwardly with respect to the rods 44. The lowerends of the rods 44 have attached thereto gears 104 which cooperate withgears 106. The gears 106 are mounted upon a shaft 108 positioned in theside frame 40. Upon rotation of shaft 108 the gears 104 are driven androtate rods 44. Since the stack frame 50 cannot rotate, the frame 50will be moved upwardly and downwardly along the rods 44 as the rods arerotated, the direction of movement of the frame 50 depending upon thedirection of rotation of rods 44. It can be seen from Figure 4 that thechain. 90 which drives the jogging cam 84 must be tightened or loosenedwhen the frame 59 moves upwardly or downwardly. This tightening orloosening of the drive chain 90 is accomplished by the tensioningsprocket 98 referred to above. Sprocket 98 is mounted upon the arm 110at one end thereof and the other end of arm 110 is pivotally mounted onthe side frame 40 as at 112. (See Fig. 5.) The weight of sprocket wheel98 and of arm 110 serves to provide the proper tension in drive chain90.

The apparatus for removing envelope blanks 22 from the stack one at atime in a continuous manner will now be described. The suction roller orwheel 26 is rotatably mounted about a suction line 114 disposed within amain drive sleeve 116. The main drive sprocket wheel 100 described aboveis fixedly mounted upon the main drive sleeve 116 and serves to drivesleeve 116. Sleeve 116 is suitably journaled in the side portions 36 and38 of the main frame as at 113 and 12-0.

Also mounted on sleeve 116 are a gear 122, a pair of spaced apartsprocket wheels 124 and 12.6, and another sprocket wheel 128. The gear122 serves to drive the pressure roller 128, the sprocket wheels 124 and126 drive the timing chains 30 and the sprocket wheel 12S furnishesmeans for driving the rubber pads 24.

The suction wheel 26 is mounted substantially in the center of thesleeve 116 and is positioned near the top of the feeding mechanism, theblank stack support being adjusted so that the suction wheel 26 contactsthe upper edges of the envelope blank. A. pair of suction ports 130 and132 are formed in the suction wheel 26 and are diametrically opposedthereaoout. The vacuum for the suction ports is supplied through thesuction line 114 which has a suitable aperture in the center thereof andwhich is held stationary with respect to the frame portions 36 and 38.Connection is made between the suction line 114 and the suction ports153i) and through a valve 134 formed in the suction line 1.14, valve1.34 being in the form of an aperture disposed in the position shownbest in Fig. 2 of the drawings. As the suction wheel 26 is rotated, thepassages 136 and 133 which lead to the suction ports 139-132,respectively, alternately register with the valve 134 whereby to applysuction to the suction ports.

In operation the main drive sleeve 1E6 rotates in a direction such thatsuction wheel 26 is rotated in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figs.2 and 3. When the leading edge of passage 136 first moves across theleading edge of the valve 134, suction is applied to port 130. In thisposition of the suction wheel 26 the port 130 is positioned adjacent anenvelope blank at a point disposed counterclockwise with respect to thepoint of tangency between the suction wheel 26 and the adjacent envelopeblank, that is, near the upper edge of the envelope blank. As suctionwheel 26 continues to rotate, the blank will be held by suction andcarried with suction wheel 26 up past a gate generally designated by thenumeral 140 formed by the periphery of the suction wheel 26 and a gatemember 142. Suction will be continuously applied until the forward edgeof the envelope blank is carried under the pressure roll 28. A shorttime after engagement of the blank between pressure roll 28 and suctionWheel 26 the suction will be removed from the envelope blank and theforward edge of the blank will be transferred to the timing chains 39.

Referring now to Figs. 2 and 4, the rubber pads 24 are mounted upon padcarriers 144 which in turn are mounted upon and carried by a chain 146.There are two sets of rubber pads 24, one set being disposedon one sideof the suction wheel 26 and the other set being disposed on the otherside of suction wheel 26. Only one set of rubber pads and their drivewill be described in detail; it is to be understood that the other setof rubber pads and their drive is substantially identical to the setdescribed. The drive chain 146 is mounted upon a plurality of sprocketwheels including the sprocket wheel 148 rotatably mounted upon sleeve116, adjustable sprocket wheel 150, a sprocket wheel 152 adjustabiymounted upon side frame 40, a sprocket Wheel 1154 adjustably mounted ina slot 155, and a sprocket wheel 156 mounted upon the side frame 40.Means for driving the chain 146 is provided by a chain 158 driven by asprocket Wheel 128. The chain 153 in turn drives a sprocket wheel 16%which is fixedly mounted upon a shaft 162 journalled in the frameportions 36 and 3b. The sprocket wheel 152 described above whichcontacts chain 146 is also fixedly mounted upon shaft 162 and thereforesprocket wheel 152 is driven when sprocket 160 is rotated by movingsprocket wheel 12%. It will be seen therefore that rotation of the maindrive sleeve 116 will serve to drive the chains 146 upon which therubber pads 24 are mounted.

The above described drive structure drives the chain 146 in a clockwisedirection as viewed in Fig. 4, whereby to move the pad 24 adjacent theenvelope blank upwardly along the blank. The pads 24 are arranged on thechains 146 so that a. pad 24 contacts the envelope blank near the loweredge thereof when the suction port on wheel 26 contacts the upper edgeof the envelope blank. In this manner the rubber pads 24 aid in movingthe desired envelope blank upwardly by frictionally engaging the blankand pushing it in an upward direction. It has been found that theprovision of two means which simultaneously contact and urge the blankupwardly materially improves feeding of the envelope blanks.

In order to insure that the associated rubber pad 24 contacts the blanknear the bottom thereof regardless of the size of the envelope blankbeing fed, the sprocket wheel 154 is mounted in the slot 155. Moreparticularly, the sprocket wheel 154 is the drive member which urges therubber pad against the envelope blank. Accordingly, the sprocket wheel154 is adjustably mounted so that the envelope blanks in the stack willnecessarily be contacted by the rubber pads 24 adjacent the lower edgeof the blanks. Movement of the sprocket Wheel 154 upwardly anddownwardly as viewed in Fig. 4, will tend to tighten or loosen the drivechain 146 depending upon the direction of movement of the sprocket wheel154. In order to insure that proper tension is maintained in chain 146at all times, the sprocket wheel 150 has its supporting axle 164 mountedin an elongated slot 166, slot 166 being directed downwardly so thatsprocket wheel is urged against chain 146 by gravity. The drive chain153 is adjusted and kept in proper tension by means of a tensioningsprocket wheel 167 which is carried by a pivotally mounted arm 169. Arm169 is so arranged that the weight of arm 169 and the sprocket Wheel 167is urged against the drive chain 153 by gravity, thereby providing fortensioning of chain 158.

The drive chains 146 are adjustable laterally with respect to theenvelope blank stack so that the optimum point of contact between thepads and the blanks can be had for various sizes of envelope blanks. Thesprocket wheels 152 can be shiftedlongitudinally along shaft 162, seeFig. 6, and the wheels 148 can be shifted longitudinally along thesleeve 116. The sprocket wheels 150 and 156 are mounted upon plates 168.The plates 168 are slidably mounted upon a T-shaped member 170 attachedto base 134, the plate 168 having a pair of L-shaped guide members 172attached thereto for coopstation with member 170. By shifting the plates168,

6 the position of the sprocket wheels 15d and 156 can be adjustedtransversely with respect to the face of the envelope blanks.

The gate member 142 is universally adjustable with respect to thesurface of suction wheel 26. It has been found that universaladjustability of the gate is necessary to give optimum operatingcharacteristics with varying thicknesses of blanks, size of blanks, andblanks made of different materials. The primary object of the gate 146is to insure that only one envelope blank is carried upwardly away fromthe stack at any one time. This is accomplished by adjusting thedistance between the end of gate member 142 and the surface of wheel 26so that this distance is equal substantially to the thicknesses of theenvelope blank being fed. The point on the periphery of wheel 26 atwhich gate is formed is also important, the optimum operating pointdepending upon the character of the paper from which the blanks are madeand the size of the blank.

The gate member 142 is substantially rectangular in shape and has theforward or gate forming edge thereof cut away or relieved as at 174 sothat substantially line contact is provided with adjacent envelopeblanks. A bolt 176 attaches member 142 to a plate 178. Plate 178 is inturn carried by a mounting block 180 having a groove formed on the lowerside thereof providing depending flanges 182 and 184 between which isreceived the plate 178. The flanges 182 and 184 are provided withlongitudinally extending slots 186 and 188 through which pass pins 190and 192. Pins 190 and 192 also pass through suitable apertures in plate:178 to thereby form a sliding connection between plate 178 and block181). The rearward end of plate 178 is provided with an upstandingflange 194 having an aperture therein to receive a rod 196. One end ofrod 196 is threaded as at 198 and is received in a complementarilythreaded aperture in block 180. The other end of rod 196 is providedwith a knob 200 which permits manual adjustment of rod 196 with respectto block 186. A spring 202 under compression is disposed between flange194 and the adjacent edge of block 136, spring 262 serving to urgeflange 194 rearwardly against knob 261). By turning knob 200 theposition of plate 178 with respect to block 180 and also the position ofmember 142 with respect to the periphery of wheel 26 can be adjustedwith great accuracy. This adjustment in effect controls the width of thegate 140 and will hereinafter be referred to as the gate sizeadjustment.

Block 189 is pivotally attached as at 204 to a slide 296. A verticallyextending groove 203 is formed in slide 206 and cooperates with acomplementarily shaped support member 210. An elongated slot 212 isformed in slide 206, the longitudinal axis of slot 212 extendingvertically. A bolt 214 having a washer 216 passes through slot 212 andinto a threaded aperture in support member 211). By this arrangement theposition of slide 266 with respect to support member 210 can be adjustedand tightened into adjusted position.

The upper edge of slide 206 has a rearwardly extending flange 218 havinga threaded aperture therein to receive the threaded end of a rod 220.The other end of rod 220 passes through an aperture in a laterallyextending flange 222 formed on support member 211) and has a knob 224attached thereto. Interposed between flange 218 and flange 222 is aspring 226 under compression which urges slide 206 to the adjustedposition. Adjustment of slide 206 with respect to support member 210 isachieved by loosening bolt 214 and then turning knob 224 until theproper position of slide 206 is obtained. Then bolt 214 is tightened tohold the slide 206 in adjusted position.

Also formed on the upper end of support member 210 is a second laterallyextending flange 228 havingan aperture therein to receive a bolt 230.The head 232 of bolt 230 is received in a complementarily shaped slot234 formed in a bar 236 mounted between the side frame portions 36 and38. Head 232 of bolt 230 can be moved longitudinally in the slot 234whereby to move support member 210 laterally with respect to Wheel 26and the envelope stack. When the desired position of the gate isobtained, a nut 238 threaded on the shank of bolt 230 is tightened tohold the member 210 in the adjusted position.

Referring now to Fig. 6, the mounting and drive for the pressureroller'28 will be described. Roller 28 is substantially cylindrical inshape and has an aperture therethrough which receives a shaft 240.Roller 28 is adjustable longitudinally with respect to shaft 240 bymeans of a key and slot arrangement. The drive for shaft 240 is providedfrom gear 122 mounted on sleeve 116, gear 122 meshing with a gear 242fixedly mounted on shaft 240. Rotation of the main drive sleeve 116 willtherefore rotate shaft 240 and roller 28 in a counterclockwise directionas viewed in Figs. 2 and 4.

The ends of shaft 240 are eccentrically mounted in a support member 244,a bushing 246 being provided between shaft 240 and the support member244. The support members 244 are in turn rotatably mounted within theframe portions 36 and 38 for rotation therein. A circumferentiallyextending groove is formed in the support members 244 and teeth 248 areformed in the bottom of the grooves. The teeth 248 mesh with a helicalworm 250 formed on the lower end of a rod 252. Rod 252 is mounted in theassociated side frame portion 36 or 38 and extends upwardly and beyondthe upper edge of the associated frame portion. The upwardly extendingend of rod 252 is provided with a knob 254 so that rod 252 can bemanually turned. Referring to Fig. 2, it will be seen that when rod 252is rotated, the support member 244 will be rotated. Since the shaft 240is eccentrically mounted on the support members 244, it will be movedupwardly or downwardly away from or toward the suction wheel 26.Accordingly the distance between pressure roll 28 and suction wheel 26,and therefore the pressure applied to an envelope blank therebetween,can be adjusted by turning the knob 254. A lock nut 256 is provided tolock the roll 28 in the adjusted position.

As the envelope blanks leave the suction wheel 26 and the pressure roll28, they are delivered to the timing chains 30. The timing chains aredriven by the sprocket wheels 124 and 126. A plurality of timing pins257 are carried by the timing chains 30 and engage the envelope blanksalong the trailing edge of the seal flap as can be best seen in Fig. 7.Any inaccuracies in spacing between adjacent envelope blanks iscorrected by the timing pins 257 so that the blanks are properly alignedas they leave the timing chains 30.

The overall operation of the feeding mechanism will now be described. Aplurality of envelope blanks are stacked upon the support rails 68 andthe support bars 64. The angularity of the support bars 64 is adjustedby pivoting them about the pivot point 66. The envelope width adjustmentis then made by rotating shaft 74 whereby to move the bars 64 and therails 68 toward or away from each other as required. When these membersare properly adjusted, the rails contact the envelope blanks at thejuncture between the side flaps and the seal flaps and the bars 64contact the lower edge of the seal flaps.

Adjustment is then made for the height of the envelope blanks so thatthe upper edge of the blank is disposed substantially tangentiallyagainst the periphery of wheel 26 as shown in Fig. 2. This adjustment isaccomplished by turning shaft 108 whereby to move the stack frameupwardly or downwardly along the threaded rods 44. It is to be notedthat the drive chain 90 for the jogging cam 84, the drive chain 146 forthe rubber pads 24, and the drive chain 158 will be substantiallyautomatically adjusted as the stack frame 50 is moved upwardly ordownwardly.

It may be necessary to move the sprocket wheels supporting and drivingthe chains 146 laterally across the face of the blank stack by movingthe frame 168 and the sprocket wheels 152 and 148.

After suitable adjustment has been made for the size and shape of theenvelope, the position and size of the gate 140 is adjusted. Theposition of contact in a lateral direction, that is, in a directionparallel to the drive sleeve 116, is made by loosening nut 238 andmoving the support member 210 longitudinally along bar 236. The point onthe periphery at which the gate 140 is to be positioned is obtained bymeans of the vertical adjustment actuated by knob 224. When the verticaladjustment has been made, the width or size of the gate is adjusted byturning knob 200 whereby to move gate member 142 toward or away from theperiphery of suction wheel 26. After these adjustments of the gate 140have been made, it may be necessary to readjust the height of the stack20 so that the upper edge of the envelope blanks lies against theunderside of gate member 142. The angularity of block 180 with respectto slide 206 is adjusted by tightening screw 258. The envelope blanksare held down or weighted by means of a rearwardly extending bar 260attached to the plate 178.

The pressure of roller 28 is finally adjusted and the feed mechanism isready for operation. Motive power is supplied to the main drive sprocket100, thereby rotating suction wheel 26 clockwise as viewed in Figs. 2and 4, rotating pressure wheel 28 counterclockwise, moving the rubberpads 24 vertically upwardly along the face of the adjacent envelopeblank, and moving the timing pins on the upper portion of the timingchains 30 to the right when seen in Figs. 2 and 4.

When the suction port moves to a position such that it is about tocontact the upper edge of an envelope blank, a rubber pad 24 is inposition to contact the lower edge of the same envelope blank. Thesuction is turned on by means of valve 134, thereby producing two forcesacting upon the envelope blank tending to move the blank upwardly out ofcontact with the remainder of the stack. The size of the gate is such asto permit only one envelope blank to pass therethrough and accordinglyonly the blank in contact with port 130 and pad 24 is moved upwardlyaway from the stack. When the forward edge of the blank being fedcontacts the pressure roller 28, the suction to port 130 is turned offand the roller 28 and the pad 24 continue feeding the blank. As thesuction wheel 26 continues to rotate, the rearmost edge of the envelopeblank comes into alignment with the pressure roller 28 and at this timethe rubber pads 24 are disengaged and the timing pins 257 are moved intoengagement. The timing pins 257 correct any slight inaccuracies in theposition of the blank and pass the blank on to the next processingstation.

There has been provided an improved feed mechanism for feeding envelopeblanks from a stack which fulfills all of the objects and advantages setforth above. More specifically there has been provided a feed apparatusfor feeding envelope blanks which can feed the blanks at a high rate yetin a sure and uniform manner so that envelope blanks are fed from astack in a continuous manner without interruption and only one at atime. This positive feed of blanks without interruption is insured bythe cooperation of the suction wheel 26 and the rubber pads 24 whichpositively grip the envelope blanks and the gate 140 formed between thegate member 142 and the suction wheel 26 which positively preventsremoval of more than one blank from the stack at a time. The gate member142 is universally adjustable with respect to suction wheel 26 wherebyto provide optimum operating characteristics of the machine. An improvedstack support has also been provided, the stack support accommodating awide range of sizes and shapes of envelope blanks.

areaost 9 In addition, improved means has been provided for continuouslyurging the entire stack toward the feeding station so that an envelopeblank is always in position to be contacted by suction wheel 26 and thepads 24.

Although a preferred example of the present invention has been shown forpurposes of illustration, it is to be understood that various changesand modifications can be made therein without departing from the spiritof the invention. limited only as set forth in the following claims.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. An apparatus for feeding envelope blanks from a stack of the blankscomprising means for supporting said stack with the plane of the blanksdisposed at an angle with respect to the horizontal, suction means forgripping the blank disposed at one end of the stack, said suction meansserving to initiate removal of said blank from said stack, means forpressing rearwardly against and frictionally gripping said blank at apoint spaced away from and behind the point of contact between saidblank and said suction means with respect to the direction of movementof the blanks, and means for moving said suction means and saidfrictional gripping means in the same direction and for moving saidgripping means across said stack whereby to remove said blank from thestack.

2. An apparatus for feeding envelope blanks from a stack of the blankscomprising means for supporting said stack with the plane of the blanksdisposed at an angle with respect to the horizontal, a suction wheelmounted adjacent said stack and positioned to contact the outermostenvelope in said stack at a point near the upper edge of said envelope,a suction port in said wheel for grasping said envelope blank adjacentthe upper edge thereof, means for rotating said suction Wheel in adirection to move the associated envelope blank upwardly away from thestack when the blank is engaged by said wheel, said suction wheelserving to initiate removal of said blank from said stack, means forpressing rearwardly against and frictionally gripping said blank at apoint spaced away from and below the point of contact between said blankand said wheel and at a point spaced away from the edges of said blank,and means for moving said frictional gripping means across said stack ina direction to aid removal of said blank from the stack.

3. An apparatus for feeding envelope blanks from a stack of the blankscomprising means for supporting said stack with the plane of the blanksdisposed at an angle with respect to the horizontal, a suction wheelmounted adjacent said stack and positioned to contact the outermostenvelope in said stack at a point near the upper edge of said envelope,a suction port in said wheel for grasping said envelope blank adjacentthe upper edge thereof, means for rotating said suction wheel in adirection to move the associated envelope blank upwardly away from thestack when the blank is engaged by said wheel, means for pressingrearwardly against and frictionally gripping said blank at a pointspaced away from and below the point of contact between said blank andsaid wheel at a point spaced away from the edges of said blank, meansfor moving said frictional gripping means across said stack in adirection to aid removal of said blank from the stack, and a gate memberdisposed adjacent said suction wheel in a position such that theenvelope blank being withdrawn from the stack must pass between saidgate member and said wheel, the distance between said gate member andsaid wheel permitting only one envelope blank to be drawn from saidstack at a time.

4-. An apparatus for feeding envelope blanks from a stack of the blankscomprising means for supporting said stack with the plane of the blanksdisposed at an angle with respect to the horizontal, a suction wheelmounted adjacent said stack and positioned to contact the outermostenvelope in said stack at a point near the upper edge Accordingly theinvention is to be 10 of said envelope, a suction port in said wheel forgrasping said envelope blank adjacent the upper edge thereof, means forrotating said suction wheel in a direction to move the associatedenvelope blank upwardly away from the stack when the blank is engaged bysaid wheel, means for pressing rearwardly against and frictionallygripping said blank at a point spaced away from and below the point ofcontact between said blank and said wheel, means for moving saidfrictional gripping means across said stack in a direction to aidremoval of said blank from the stack, and a pressure roll disposedadjacent said suction wheel at a point on the periphery of the suctionwheel removed from the point of contact between the suction wheel andthe stack, said roll in cooperation with said suction wheel serving tomove said envelope blank when the suction applied to said suction portis removed.

5. An apparatus for feeding envelope blanks from a stack of the blankscomprising means for supporting said stack with the plane of the blanksdisposed at an angle with respect to the horizontal, a suction wheelmounted adjacent said stack and positioned to contact the outermostenvelope in said stack at a point near the upper edge of said envelope,a suction port in said wheel for grasping said envelope blank adjacentthe upper edge thereof, means for rotating said suction wheel in adirection to move the associated envelope blank upwardly away from thestack when the blank is engaged by said wheel, means for pressingrearwardly against and frictionally gripping said blank at a pointspaced away from and below the point of contact between said blank andsaid wheel, means for moving said frictional gripping means across saidstack in a direction to aid removal of said blank from the stack, a gatemember disposed adjacent said suction wheel in a position such that theen velopc blank being withdrawn from the stack must pass between saidgate member and said wheel, the distance between said gate member andsaid wheel permitting only one envelope blank to be drawn from saidstack at a time, and means for universally adjusting the position ofsaid gate means with respect to said suction wheel.

6. An apparatus for feeding envelope blanks from a stack of the blankscomprising means for supporting said stack with the plane of the blanksdisposed at an angle with respect to the horizontal, a suction. wheelmounted adjacent said stack and positioned to contact the outermostenvelope in said stack at a point near the upper edge of said envelope,a suction port in said wheel for grasping said envelope blank adjacentthe upper edge thereof, means for rotating said suction wheel in adirection to move the associated envelope blank upwardly away from thestack when the blank is engaged by said wheel, means for pressingrearwardly against and frictionally gripping said blank at a pointspaced away from and below the point of contact between said blank andsaid wheel, means for moving said frictional gripping means across saidstack in a direction to aid removal of said blank from the stack, a gatemember disposed adjacent said suction wheel in a position such that theenvelope blank being withdrawn from the stack must pass between saidgate member and said wheel, the distance between said gate member andsaid wheel permitting only one envelope blank to be drawn from saidstack at a time, and a pressure roll disposed adjacent the periphery ofsaid suction wheel at a point spaced away from said gate member in thedi rection of rotation of said suction wheel.

7. An apparatus for feeding envelope blanks from a stack of the blankscomprising means for supporting said stack With the plane of the blanksdisposed at an angle with respect to the horizontal, suction means forgripping the blank disposed at one end of the stack, means for pressingrearwardly against and frictionally gripping said blank at a pointspaced away from and behind the point of contact between said blank andsaid suction means with respect to the direction of movement of theblanks and spaced from the edges of said blanks, means for con tinuouslymoving said suction means and said frictional gripping means in the samedirection whereby to remove said blank from the stack, and a timingconveyor disposed adjacent said suction means and frictional grippingmeans to receive the envelope blanks fed from said stack by said suctionmeans and said frictional gripping means.

8. An apparatus for feeding envelope blanks from a stack of the blankscomprising means for supporting said stack with the plane of the blanksdisposed at an angle with respect to the horizontal, gripping means forgripping the blank disposed at one end of the stack at a point disposedaway from the edges of said blank, said gripping means initiatingremoval of said blank from said stack, means for moving said grippingmeans initially in a direction substantially parallel to the plane ofsaid blank, and positively positioned gate means positioned along theedge of said blank disposed in the direction of movement of saidgripping means, said gate means providing an opening substantially inthe plane of said blank permitting only one blank to be removed fromsaid stack at a time.

9. An apparatus for feeding envelope blanks from a stack of the blankscomprising means for supporting said stack with the plane of the blanksdisposed at an angle with respect to the horizontal, gripping means forgripping the blank disposed at one end of the stack at a point disposedaway from the edges of said blanks, said gripping means initiatingremoval of said blank from said stack, means for moving said grippingmeans initially in a direction substantially parallel to the plane ofsaid blank, positively positioned gate means positioned along the edgeof said blank disposed in the direction of movement of said grippingmeans, said gate means providing an opening substantially in the planeof said blank permitting only one blank to be removed from said stack ata thne, and means for adjusting said gate means to accommodate varyingthicknesses of blanks.

10. An apparatus for feeding envelope blanks from a stack of the blankscomprising means for supporting said stack with the plane of the blanksdisposed at an angle with respect to the horizontal, a surface havinggripping means formed thereon positioned adjacent the outermost blank inthe stack for engaging a side surface only of said outermost blank,means for moving said surface while the surface is engaging said blankwith respect to said stack to remove said blank from said stack, apositively positioned gate member positioned adjacent said surface sothat said blank must move through the space between said gate member andsaid surface as the blank is removed from the stack with said spacebeing located substantially in the plane of the outermost blank in thestack, means for adjusting the position of said gate member along saidsurface and the angularity of said gate member with respect to saidsurface, and means for adjusting the distance between said gate memberand said surface to accommodate varying thicknesses of envelope blanksto insure that only one blank is removed from said stack at a time.

11. In an apparatus for feeding sheets from a stack of the sheets, asupport for the stack comprising main support means disposedlongitudinally of the stack and inclined with respect to the horizontal,end support means disposed at the end of said main support meanspositioned lowermost, auxiliary support means disposed substantiallyparallel to said main support means, and means for reciprocating saidauxiliary support means in a vertical direction and toward and away fromsaid main support means to move the sheets towards said end supportmeans as sheets are removed from the stack at the end adjacent said endsupport means.

12. In an apparatus for feeding blanks from a stack of the blanks, asupport for the stack comprising main support means disposedlongitudinally of the stack and inclined with respect to the horizontal,means for adjusting the distance between said main support means toaccommodate a plurality of sizes of blanks, end support means disposedat the end of said main support means positioned lowermost, auxiliarysupport means disposed substantially parallel to said main supportmeans, means for adjusting the distance between said auxiliary supportmeans to accommodate a plurality of sizes of blanks, and means forreciprocating said auxiliary support means in a vertical direction andtoward and away from said main support means to move the blanks towardsaid end support means as blanks are removed from the stack at the endadjacent said end support means.

13. An apparatus for feeding blanks from a stack of the blankscomprising a frame, a suction wheel mounted upon said frame, a supportfor said stack comprising main support means disposed longitudinally ofthe stack and inclined with respect to the horizontal, the lowermostends of said main support means being disposed toward said suctionwheel, end support means disposed at the end of said main support meanspositioned adjacent said suction wheel, means for rotating said suctionwheel to remove blanks from said stack, auxiliary support means disposedsubstantially parallel to said main support means, means forreciprocating said auxiliary support means in a vertical direction andtoward and away from said main support means to move the blanks towardsaid end sup port means as blanks are removed from the stack by saidsuction wheel, and means adjustably mounting said main support means andauxiliary support means on said frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS584,007 Moehn et al June 8, 1897 1,982,823 Meredith Dec. 4, 19342,016,711 Ford Oct. 8, 1.935 2,057,279 Shomaker Oct. 13, 1936 2,220,073Belcher et al Nov. 5, 1940 2,244,250 Johnson June 3, 1941 2,265,007 RyanDec. 2, 1941 2,395,497 Nordquist Feb. 26, 1946

